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Why one of sport's most iconic images resonates 70 years on

Why one of sport's most iconic images resonates 70 years on

bbc.co.uk 29.08.2026 08:26 2 views
In 1956 a football photographer captured a moment in time that is still adored 70 years later.

A dramatic sporting moment frozen in time 70 years ago remains as popular as ever with football fans, and even inspired a statue. One of the finest players of his era - Tom Finney of Preston North End - was photographed during a deluge at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge in August 1956. Like a water-skier cutting through the wake of a speedboat, Finney somehow manages to stay upright and in control.

These days, there is little doubt that top-flight referees facing similar conditions would abandon the match. But in August 1956, the Football League first division game - the equivalent of the Premier League - continued and the players were expected to roll their sleeves up and get on with it. Decades before the advent of digital cameras and images appearing on readers' screens within minutes of them being taken, the photographer who captured The Splash would also have had no idea of how amazing a picture he had just taken.

That would only have emerged later in the eerie light of a darkroom as his roll of film was developed. Finney had already played for England at two World Cups (in 1950 and 1954) and was a household name - the David Beckham of his day. So many eyes - and photographers' lenses - would have been trained on him that wet late summer's day in 1956.

Marauding down the right wing, Finney slipped and slid through a massive puddle, sending water high into the air. John Horton was there for the Press Association, which supplies photographs to media organisations around the country. He somehow managed to catch Finney's wave perfectly.

As one auction house which sells replicas of the image later put it: "Even though he was sliding in a sea of water, Finney still managed to maintain control of the ball. "The photograph has become symbolic of football's gritty, old-fashioned spirit, and it captures the essence of Finney as a player: resilient, skilful, and unwavering, no matter the conditions. "It symbolises the tenacity and adaptability of players in the 1950s, who often played through difficult conditions that would see modern matches postponed." Finney, a one-club man who resisted offers to leave his beloved hometown team, only ever earned a maximum of £20 per week (about £400 in today's money) because of Football League rules capping wages at the time.

To boost his income, the future knight of the realm famously continued to combine his football with being a plumber. A year after he was demobbed as a tank driver in World War Two, Finney made the first of his 433 appearances for North End and went on to score 210 goals. For England, he won 76 caps and found the net 30 times.

Extract — continue reading at the source.

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